if we go over the fiscal cliff, what it means is the taxes will go up on the wealthy, the big earners. it also goes up on the middle class. i assume the middle class will look to the rawp republicans foe fact that their taxes come up so political check mate. >> i'm not so sure. president obama could avoid that very simply by putting maybe two or three to one expenditure reductions on the table for revenue increases, something like sim responsibl simpson bow. he has a formula given to him by a commission he appointed and he's totally rejected that formula and presented to the republicans a program which was basically just a massive tax increase over and above the massive tax increase that's going to take place with the bush tax cuts expiring, so i don't see where there's -- he hasn't given them room to compromise. maybe if he had put his tax increases on the table and put up expenditure reductions of, you know, one and a half to one and republicans can negotiate it to two or two and a half to one, i mean, that would be an adult, mature, sensible negotiation. the kind that i used to do